Second Chances
by Angela6257
Summary: A familiar face helps the Fang Gang out, with unexpected results...
1. Prologue

TITLE: Second Chances  
CO-AUTHORS: Hitwoman and Novus  
SPOILERS: General Angel: the Series season five, namely for the presence of Fred.  
DISCLAIMERS: Joss owns all, We own nothing! We're just borrowing them for a teensy bit.  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Southern California  
c. 1600 AD  
  
The beast howled and spat and clawed, so enraged that even the most experienced of the hunters  
stepped back and prayed the chains would hold. There were only five of them (there had been a   
dozen before the battle) and it was such a strong vampire. Stronger than most, strong enough   
to leave a trail of dead villages all up and down the Californian coast. Strong enough to   
merit the ultimate Earthly punishment from the Order of the Holy Cross.  
  
After a long moment, the undead creature's strength seemed spent and it settled on hissing at   
the tired, bleeding knights of the Order.  
  
But that glare!  
  
Don Pedro de Linares, the leader of the band, crossed himself, unashamed of his fear. Who knew   
what diabolic power lay behind those eyes, after all? "Carlos, Juan, blind it."  
  
The two spearmen exchanged nervous glances. "Lord?" Carlos, a Galician fisher's son who was   
deeply regretting joining the Order at the moment, asked cautiously.  
  
"Do it!" de Linares snapped.  
  
Carlos and Juan cringed, but obeyed. With their spears, they managed to accomplish the task   
without getting too close. The vampire let out another howl as they did and nearly attacked   
them. Only a wooden spear pressed against its chest dissuaded the vampire from that course of   
action, and that just barely.  
  
"Now, the coffin."  
  
The other two surviving warriors picked up the slack end of the chains wrapped around the   
vampire and began to tug it along the dry, dusty ground. Ten feet away, a stone coffin lay,   
half-buried in the dirt. A slab of a cover, hastily inscribed with a cross, rested next to it.  
  
The vampire began to howl again as it was unceremoniously dragged into the coffin. The chains   
clattered slightly as it hit the sturdy stone.  
  
De Linares smiled for the first time as he stepped up to the coffin and peered down at the   
thrashing occupant. "You are not so dangerous now, yes?" he asked it in the Castilian Spanish   
that was native to them both. It was unchivalrous and probably unchristian, but he could not  
resist a little taunting. "I hope all those people you kill haunt you now, until you finally   
rot away to nothing. Or maybe all you'll hear will be your own screams until Judgement Day.   
Either way..." He grinned down at the vampire, who regarded him with unmistakable hate, even   
though its eyes were gone. "Vaya con el Diablo." De Linares spat, then stepped back.  
  
The vampire's screams, louder than ever, were abruptly silenced as the heavy stone lid was   
dropped down atop the coffin. Large iron spikes were hammered down into place, sealing the lid   
tight, and then carefully gathered rocks were placed atop it as an additional precaution.   
Finally, dirt and sand were shoveled on top of the tomb until it was well buried. After an   
hour, with dawn approaching, de Linares and the others finally stopped and surveyed their   
handiwork.  
  
"Well done," de Linares said through his tired gasps. "Not even the Devil could let him loose   
now." He smiled again, imagining he could still hear the vampire's screams. Just a fancy, but  
one that would comfort him for many years to come.  
  
* * * * *   
  
Los Angeles  
2001  
  
"Well, shit."  
  
Frank Berliner stared at the giant, black opening in the wall and wiped sweat off his brow. He   
hated working in these old tunnels. They were full of rats, a stench that couldn't be   
described in words, and worse things, the kind of thing that was never talked about but made   
the city sewer workers pretty much the highest paid civic servants in LA.  
  
And today, of all days, Harry calls in sick!  
  
At least, Frank thought, it was still light out. A dump truck full of money wouldn't be enough   
to get him down in the tunnels after sunset.   
  
Get it over with, a small voice from the back of his mind said. Frank sighed and aimed his   
flashlight into the black hole in the wall. There'd been a small earthquake earlier in the   
day, barely enough to be noticed, but these old walls were always falling down.   
  
Frank just hoped none of the pipes had burst. If not, he could go home and let the   
construction workers worry about it. Walls weren't his business, but pipes... He sighed again   
and headed towards the gaping darkness.  
  
Two steps towards it, he stopped and listened hard, trying to hear over the sudden pounding of   
his heart.  
  
A second passed, Frank risked breathing, and then he froze. That time he had definitely heard   
it. A soft... well, a soft sound, one he couldn't put any words to at the moment.  
  
Frank waited for thirty seconds, clutching the flashlight and wishing it was an M-16 like the   
one he'd had in Kuwait, then another thirty before even beginning to relax.  
  
"You're being an idiot," he said aloud, relaxing a bit more when nothing pounced on him. Just   
get going! that voice scolded.  
  
"Okay, okay," Frank grumbled. He gingerly stepped through the hole, managing not to upset too   
many loose rocks, and swung his flashlight around.  
  
"What the hell?" he asked, so startled that he nearly dropped the light. There was a hole in   
the ground - it was dirt and rock here, not cement or brick - and it looked like someone had   
set off a landmine. Debris all over the place, centered around that hole. A hole just big   
enough for a man... or something the size of a man... to wriggle through.  
  
Frank found himself stepping closer to the hole, despite the icy fear gripping him. The   
flashlight, its beam thin and pale in here, cast a little light on the hole as Frank peered   
down it. There was a box under all the dirt.  
  
"Shit!" Frank jumped back as if he'd bitten. That was no box. That was a coffin, he'd seen   
enough of them to know the difference, and what the hell was it doing down here?  
  
He started to turn, to get the hell out of there, but there was the sound again and now he   
realized it was above him. The flashlight swung up, Frank saw a face out of a nightmare, all   
dry gray skin and fangs, and had time to scream just once before it all went red, then black.  
  
  
The vampire stared at the mess that had been a human and, trembling, licked a little blood off  
one of its gnarled, desiccated fingers. Just a drop, but enough to send a jolt down its   
decaying spine. Then it howled, loud enough to rattle the stones around the hole in the wall,   
and loped its way out into the tunnel. If it noticed that its feet were cracking and peeling   
with each step, it gave no sign of it. All it was thinking was BLOOD and it could smell it, so   
much and so close, all it had to do was wait for the bright sun to set and then it would   
feed... 


	2. Chapter 1

TITLE: Second Chances  
CO-AUTHORS: Hitwoman and Novus  
SPOILERS: General Angel: the Series season five, namely for the presence of Fred.  
DISCLAIMERS: Joss owns all, We own nothing! We're just borrowing them for a teensy bit.  
  
  
Angel stood by the window, arms crossed, contemplating the Los Angeles night. He could see   
the occasional vague outline of people walking by, going about their normal business. Living   
their normal lives.  
  
It was his job to make sure those lives continued as normally as possible.  
  
He corrected himself silently. Not his job. His and his team's job.  
  
Angel turned slowly, looking around the Hyperion. Wesley was doing his usual thing, several   
ancient texts spread out in front of him as he researched the lifestyle and habitat of the   
latest Big Bad, some sort of slime demon that had been picking off pedestrians in the   
industrial part of town. Fred and Gunn were arguing amicably as he tried to re-teach her how   
to play checkers. He kept insisting that the pieces could only move to diagonal squares of   
the same color, and she kept insisting that the pieces could move themselves where they   
wanted to.  
  
His mouth quirked. She'd assimilated herself back into her own culture quite a bit since the   
return from Pylea, but there were some things about her that might never return to normal. And   
if he was honest, he preferred it that way. She had a certain quirky charm all her own.  
  
Cordelia was... he frowned briefly. Where had the brunette gone? She'd been sitting at her   
desk, filing or painting or doing something to her nails the last time he'd seen her.  
  
Just then, there was a high pitched squeal of distress from one of the back offices. Angel's   
head swung in that direction.  
  
Wes spoke first. "Hey, was that...?"  
  
"Cordelia," Gunn finished grimly. "Angel...?" But Angel was already gone. Wes and Gunn   
hurried after him, Wesley stopping only long enough to grab the aspirin and bottled water from   
her desk.  
  
"Is she gonna scream like that all the time?" said Fred to the empty room, still staring down   
at the checkers. "Cause this game's never gonna work if she keeps scaring the little  
critters."  
  
* * * * *   
  
Faith woke up yawning and with a crink in her neck. She let the yawn slide and began to rub   
the sore spot. The beds in solitary were even worse than the ones in the regular cells.  
  
It hadn't helped that she'd had the mother of all weird dreams, either. Half of it hadn't made   
any sense and the other half was starting to fade away as she woke up. She did remember a -  
  
The door swung open and two butt-ugly guards glared in at her.  
  
Faith managed to keep a bland smile on her face and waited to see what they wanted.  
  
"You've got visitors," one of the guards announced. She sounded about as surprised as Faith   
felt.  
  
Visitors? More than one? Maybe Angel dragged along one of his employees. Faith hoped not - she wasn't sure she could face up to Wesley or Cordelia just yet.   
  
"Come on."  
  
Faith nodded and followed the guards out of The Pit aka the solitary wing and to the visiting   
room. And past it.  
  
"What - ?"  
  
"Private room," the guard explained, probably disappointed she had no idea what was going on.   
  
Faith knew how she felt. She didn't even know there were private visiting rooms in this place.   
What the hell was this all about?  
  
Then she was ushered into one of the private rooms and things began to click into place.  
  
Watchers.   
  
She would have backpedaled, or gone for them, but they both had their hands on the table in   
about as non-threatening a posture as you could get. Plus the guard was right behind her.  
  
"Faith. Why don't you have a seat?" one of the Watchers, a not-quite-middle-aged black man,   
asked, a polite smile on his face.   
  
"Sure." Faith pulled the chair back a few inches, far enough away from the Watchers to react   
if they made a move, and sat down.  
  
"We'll be brief, since time is rather pressing. We..." The black Watcher's face scrunched up   
before he reluctantly went on. "We need your help."  
  
"Oh, really?" Faith asked, grinning at the pair. "You want me to break some rocks for you or   
what?"  
  
Just as she'd hoped, the Watchers didn't get the joke. "Nonsense. We want you to kill a   
vampire. That is your duty, you know, present circumstances notwithstanding."  
  
Faith shrugged. "Well, present circumstances make it kinda hard to do much slaying," she   
pointed out, still grinning. "On the other hand, you could spring me."  
  
The other Watcher, the skinny old one who hadn't said anything yet, leaned forward. "Precisely   
our plan. If you cooperate, we'll arrange for your temporary release so that the vampire may   
be destroyed."  
  
"Whoa, back up. Temporary?"  
  
Both Watchers nodded.  
  
"Think of it as a..." the old Watcher hesitated for a second "... a chance to prove yourself."  
  
"So I do the good deed and then you toss me back in this pit?" Faith asked, astonished, but   
not that much, that even the Watchers could be so asinine. "Not much in it for me, is there?"  
  
The two Watchers exchanged glances, then the black one frowned gravely at her. "It is your   
destiny, Faith. How long will you keep denying your calling? Lives are in danger, the more so   
the longer you hesitate."  
  
She pressed her lips together and stared at them for a few seconds, weighing her options, then   
shrugged as she came to a decision. It wasn't that hard, which surprised her almost as much as   
the decision itself.  
  
* * * * *   
  
Angel stopped in the doorway of the back office, Gunn and then Wesley stopping just behind   
him. They all gaped at Cordelia, who... far from being in the throes of a vision, was standing   
on one of the older desk chairs, long skirt held close against her legs.   
  
"There!" She pointed a finger towards the corner of the office, where a mound of papers were   
evidence to the haste in which she'd dropped them. "Under that stuff! That's where it is!"  
  
"Where what is?" Angel entered the room slowly. "What's got you so upset?"  
  
"It was a cockroach." Wesley made some kind of muffled noise of disgust, and Gunn rolled his   
eyes. "Hey, not your normal big-icky-bug cockroach either. This one was the size of a   
Shetland pony."  
  
"Well, it's gone now," said Angel quietly, managing not to smile. "Why don't you come down   
from there?"  
  
"Oh yeah, right. I step down, that thing attacks me with it's big antlers and it's buggy   
little legs, all out for revenge for me having its entire family killed by the exterminator   
last week and... OH!" Angel had solved the problem by the simple expedient of grabbing   
Cordelia around the legs and carrying her towards the other room. She clutched at his head   
with both hands, just managing to duck as he went through the doorway, thereby avoiding a   
whack to the head from the door frame. Wes and Gunn looked at each other briefly before   
moving to the pile of papers, digging through them in search of the insect that would be sure   
to keep Cordelia from entering this room again.  
  
In the lobby, Angel let Cordelia slide down until he could grasp her waist, then he set her on   
her feet. Fred watched them with interest. "Do people do that around here? I knew it wasn't   
so unusual in Pylea, but things were always so different there, so if you saw someone carting   
someone else around, it didn't necessarily mean anything out of the extraordinary, so to   
speak. But seems like most people here seem to think..."  
  
"There was a bug," said Cordelia. "A big bug."  
  
"Oh." Fred's brows drew together in confusion for a moment, then smoothed out again as   
comprehension dawned. She nodded knowingly. "Ooooh. Was it going to eat your head?"  
  
"Well as a matter of fact," began Cordelia, but then she met Angel's eyes. "No, it wasn't   
really quite that big, Fred. Insects here are still pretty much at the small-and-easily-squishable stage. No head-eating ones that I'm aware of."  
  
"That's good. That's real good," responded Fred, smiling happily. "Cause it's pretty hard to   
make much sense after a bug eats your head."  
  
"For some of us, it's pretty hard even before that." She smiled fondly at the other girl.   
"But that's okay. In fact, it's actually kind of... oh no."  
  
"No?" Fred got to her feet, looking at Cordelia curiously.   
  
"No. Not... Angel?" With one last glance at Angel, she winced in pain, her hand going   
instinctively to her forehead. She would have fallen to the ground, legs no longer able to   
support her, if Angel hadn't gotten to her first, easing her down then sitting next to her,  
supporting her himself as the vision hit her.  
  
Fred turned to look back at the checkerboard. "Don't worry, little guys," she said in a stage   
whisper. "She won't scream much. Probly won't, anyway. It's the curse, you know."  
  
"Fred, we talked about this," said Angel, attention still focused on Cordelia. "It's not a   
curse. It's just a vision, and we'll use it to help people."  
  
He turned his head slightly. "Wesley! Gunn!"  
  
The others hurried back into the room, Wesley with the aspirin and water still in his hand.   
They both hurried to kneel next to Angel and Cordelia. Fred approached more slowly, trying to  
keep an eye on the checkerboard. She didn't want to miss any moves the pieces might make,   
since that tended to make the game even more confusing to her.  
  
After a moment, Cordelia's eyes opened again. Wordlessly, Wesley handed her a couple of   
aspirins and the bottle of water.  
  
"Vampire," she said, breathing a little heavily. "Thanks, Wesley. A vampire, but not your   
regular vampire. This one's... he's weird-looking. Old, I think, and... and dry."  
  
"Dry?" repeated Gunn. "Can we get a little more specific on that?"  
  
"Dry!" said Cordelia. "He was... dry. All paper-y looking. Like one of those old women who's   
been to the tanning booth a few thousand times too many."  
  
"Dry means he's probably been without food too long." Angel supported Cordelia as she sat up   
on her own, then gave her a hand to help her to her feet. "Locked up somewhere, maybe. What   
was he wearing? Did it look like a prison uniform?"  
  
"No, not a uniform." Wincing a little, Cordelia moved to one of the round sofas that dotted   
the lobby and sat down, laying her head carefully on the padded bench. "Some kind of robe-y   
thing."  
  
"Old vampire, locked up without food, wearing a robe." Wesley shook his head, moving back   
towards his books. "I don't like the sound of that. Was it some sort of ceremonial robe? Can   
you describe it?"  
  
"Yeah. It was gross. All tattered and ragged and... dusty."  
  
"Not exactly the sort of description I was hoping for." He began thumbing through one of the  
books, a compendium of various well known vampires and their followers. "Color perhaps?"  
  
Cordelia took a deep breath. "Purple or blue, maybe, before the 18 inches of solid dirt  
covered it. What does it matter? Big vampire, BAD vampire... do we really need to sit here and   
debate his color choices?"  
  
"No, we don't," said Angel calmly, interrupting before another argument could start. "We need   
to get out and find it. Location, Cordy?"  
  
"I... " she was silent for a second. "Subway station, maybe? Or train station? I couldn't   
tell for sure. But there was a big poster with a water bottle on it on the wall."  
  
"Let's head out then." Angel grabbed his jacket, and the rest of the team moved to gather   
what they'd need. "Looks like we've got a vampire to find."  
  
* * * * *   
  
Faith took a deep breath and grinned when the two Watchers stared at her. "Cut me some slack,   
I've been in prison for the last year. Let me enjoy fresh, unconvicted air while I can, huh?"  
  
"I must point out that time is of the essence," Deschain, the older Watcher who reminded Faith  
of Giles at his prissiest, said in a tone that was just shy of impatience. "Also, we are in a   
subway station."  
  
Faith only shrugged. "It's better than nothing. And don't worry, I'm on it. That way," she   
said, pointing down the empty tunnel off to the left.  
  
The two Watchers exchanged glances. "Are you sure?" Deschain asked, a skeptical look on his   
face. Faith wasn't known for the psychic abilities that some Slayers developed. But she   
sounded fairly certain. Perhaps her Watchers had held back about her true talent for some   
reason.  
  
"Trust me," Faith insisted, even though she had no idea how she knew the vampire was coming.   
She did know, but it was something she'd never been able to do before. Then the train rolled   
into the station and she set that question aside. "It's here!" she announced grimly, drawing a   
stake from her belt.  
  
It was a somewhat redundant warning. The car's windows were coated in blood and faint screams   
could be heard from inside and then from outside as the crowd at the station began scrambling   
for the exits.  
  
Faith and the Watchers were nearly swept away by the mad rush and only reached the edge of the platform when the station was all but deserted.  
  
"Stay back," Faith whispered. She crept up to one of the doors and began to pry it open. The   
two Watchers moved off to the side and drew their own weapons, ready to fire the minute the   
door was open.  
  
All three of them cursed when the window next to Faith shattered, glass and blood splattering   
everywhere, and the vampire leapt through with a bestial roar.  
  
* * * * *   
  
"Doesn't anyone in LA drink tap water anymore?" asked Wesley irritably, as they walked past  
the twenty-third bottled water poster. Cordelia had yet to find the one she'd seen in her   
vision.  
  
"When was the last time you tried tap water, English?" said Gunn, his voice amused as he   
scanned the crowd.  
  
"I drink tea," said Wesley.  
  
"Yeah, and there's a manly drink," said Gunn, grinning openly now. "You should try the tap   
water. Put some hair on your chest."  
  
"Children, am I going to have to separate you?" said Angel. They both turned to look at him,   
brows raised, before going back to their amicable squabbling. "What?" he said, turning to   
Cordelia who'd fallen behind the other two with him. "I'm not allowed to make a joke?"  
  
"I guess they're still getting used to you," said Cordelia, watching the other two with a   
ghost of a smile. The smile slowly died. "You know, since you had your epiphany and all."  
  
And the conversation, slow as it was, died there.   
  
Which was just as well, because it was about that time that they heard the roar of the   
vampire.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Son of a - " Faith yelled when the vampire slashed at her. She ducked back just in time to   
avoid getting her throat torn out, and fell to the ground. There were two thunking sounds,   
almost in unison, as a pair of crossbow bolts hit the vampire in the chest. Neither hit the   
heart, and it kept on coming.  
  
Faith jumped to her feet and punched it in the jaw. Ancient teeth shattered and the vampire   
grunted, but it wasn't slowed down. The vampire slashed at Faith again, this time tearing a   
few long holes in her shirt, and hissed, displaying the remainder of its long, blood-soaked   
fangs.  
  
"Oh no. That's not..." The Angel Investigations crew stood there for an instant, more   
surprised at the sight of the dark Slayer than the ancient evil she was fighting.  
  
"Faith," said Angel quietly. He touched the back of Cordelia's arm, knowing how the others,   
especially Cordelia and Wesley, felt about the girl. "That's her."   
  
"Damn dude, get a toothbrush!" Faith sidestepped to avoid being gutted and tried to maneuver   
around the thing's back so she could snap its neck and slow it down a little. But the vampire   
moved too fast, faster than anything she'd seen since Kakistos, and it was all she could to   
stay away from its claws.  
  
"Guys, a little help?"  
  
Angel and Gunn swung into action first. Gunn went for the full frontal assault, joining Faith   
in front of the creature.  
  
Faith glanced at Gunn out of the corner of her eye. "What the hell?" she blurted out, then   
grinned. "Hey there."  
  
"Hi," said Gunn, the word little more than a grunt as he used one end of the lengthy   
battle-axe he carried to slam into the vampire's face. The blow did little more than anger the   
already-maddened thing, and it hissed at him with another swipe of those lethal claws.  
  
Angel catapulted himself upward, grabbing one of the steam pipes that lined the ceiling and   
using the upward force of the motion to swing his legs up and over the vampire's head. He   
brought both feet down onto the back of the demon's head with enough force to send the   
creature to the ground like a stone with a bone-cracking crunch, then dropped lightly back   
onto the cement floor.  
  
"Well," he said, wiping the grime of the steam pipe from his hands. "He seems to be a   
little..."   
  
"Still alive, awake, and ready to eat us?" finished Cordelia. "Look."  
  
And it was true. The creature was already stirring again.  
  
"Geez," said Gunn. "What's it take to bring him down?"  
  
They all took several steps back as the vampire got to his feet again. The lower part of its   
face was now a broken, bloody jumble of tooth and bone from the force of its forceful   
encounter with cement, but it showed no sign of weakness.  
  
"If I may make a suggestion?" Deschain said as he reloaded his crossbow. The sudden appearance of Angel and the others didn't faze him in the least, or at least not as much as the rampaging vampire had.   
  
"Lemme guess," Faith muttered, grinning despite herself. It had been a long time since she'd   
gotten a good ass-kicking rush like this. Prison fights just weren't the same. "Where are you   
guys parked?" she asked Angel as she began to back away from the vampire. It was shuffling   
aimlessly, apparently dazed.   
  
"Parking lot," said Angel briefly, eyes on the wounded vampire. He and Gunn began to fan out,   
trying to flank the creature.  
  
Faith reached for another stake, intending to try her luck with long-distance dusting, but the   
vampire made a strange gurgling noise and jumped down onto the tracks. Dane got one shot off,   
but the bolt missed and then the vampire was gone.  
  
"Shit. C'mon, anybody got a flashlight?"   
  
"A flashlight?" repeated Cordelia doubtfully. "Because you're going to what... spotlight it to death?"  
  
"I believe she intends to chase it down the tunnel," said Wesley calmly. "Not a particularly   
wise move, considering the likelihood of an oncoming subway car."  
  
"C'mon, I can take it."  
  
"Absolutely not!" Deschain said. "We clearly haven't the proper weapons to - my God,   
Wyndham-Pryce, what are you doing here?" he suddenly blurted out, turning towards Wesley.   
  
"I'm working here," said Wesley, looking down his nose at the Watcher. "After the Council   
decided to... to..." His voice broke off.  
  
"After you guys were dumb enough to let him go, he came to work with us," said Cordelia   
loyally. "He's an invaluable part of the team."  
  
"Oh, is he?" Deschain asked, a weak smile creasing his face. Dane and Faith both rolled their   
eyes.  
  
"His research skills are incredible." Angel clapped a hand on Wesley's shoulder.   
  
"English here took a bullet for me," said Gunn, moving to stand on Wesley's other side.   
  
"So if you guys are done, you can just toddle on," added Cordelia. Feel free to take Psycho   
Slayer with you, she finished silently.  
  
Deschain opened his mouth to put the Americans in their place, but Dane spoke before he could.   
"We're not done, not while the vampire is still alive," he pointed out.   
  
"Thanks so much, Captain Obvious," said Cordelia dryly. "Care to make a suggestion?"  
  
Dane nodded. "Yes, I would. Perhaps we should focus on energies on finishing the task at   
hand?"   
  
"Quite right," Deschain reluctantly said. "Perhaps it's not coincidence that you and your   
associates are here."   
  
"And perhaps it is," muttered Wesley quickly, frowning.   
  
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but who cares? Now let's get together and kick some ass, okay?"   
Faith turned and grinned at Angel. "You still got that big closet full of toys? I owe that   
thing a few whacks with an axe, Lizzy Borden style."   
  
Cordelia stepped between them, voice cool. "Sorry, but we're in the middle of something here."  
  
"Cordelia," began Angel, but she cut in before he could say anything else.  
  
"No, Angel. I mean it." She turned to look at him, eyes a little pleading. "You had your   
epiphany. Maybe she's had hers. But she's got the Watchers to keep her busy, and we've got   
our own work." She cast a sideways glance back at Faith. "And I have a hard time doing that   
after catching someone's fist with my face."  
  
Faith chewed on her lip. She wanted to apologize, or at least try to, but before she could   
even begin to say something, it was too late.  
  
"And the Watchers' motives are less than clear," murmured Wesley. "I'm not sure we want to   
ally ourselves with them. You remember what happened when they sent a team after us, don't   
you?"  
  
Dane turned to Deschain, a disbelieving look on his face, but the elder Watcher nodded.  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence before Angel spoke.  
  
"I'm sorry, Faith," he said quietly. "I'll.. I'll be in touch."  
  
"Right," Faith replied shortly. "Later."  
  
Slowly the Angel Investigations team turned and began making their way back out of the subway   
terminal.  
  
"Would someone please explain to me what that was all about?" Dane asked when they'd left.   
  
"Later, big guy," Faith muttered. "Let's just get the hell out of here and gear up. You guys   
brought some guns or something from England, right?"  
  
Deschain nodded. "But we hadn't anticipated needing them. Vampires aren't generally hurt - "  
  
"I know!" Faith snapped. "But it'll slow that creep down long enough for me to get up close   
and personal with an axe. Who needs them anyway?" she mumbled. "They'd just get in the way."  
  
Not that Mutt and Jeff are doing that great, she thought. She'd seen the type before - wannabe   
bad-asses who've never been in a real fight in their lives. Give them guns and they'd probably   
end up shooting her in the back.  
  
Ditching the two Watchers seemed like the best idea, but then what? Go try and beg for Angel's   
help? Not much of a chance there, not with Cordelia and Wesley around to remind him of... all   
that.  
  
But how else was she going to take down the vampire?  
  
"Dammit."  
  
"What's that?" Dane asked as they started up the stairs to the ground level.  
  
"I gotta pee," Faith replied, a sheepish expression on her face. "Wait here. Ah'll be back."  
  
"Do hurry," Deschain absently commented. "I doubt the vampire's panic will last long."  
  
"Don't worry," Faith said over her shoulder as she ran across the station to the ladies room. 


	3. Chapter 2

TITLE: Second Chances  
CO-AUTHORS: Hitwoman and Novus  
SPOILERS: General Angel: the Series season five, namely for the presence of Fred.  
DISCLAIMERS: Joss owns all, We own nothing! We're just borrowing them for a teensy bit.  
  
  
Later...  
  
Faith's hand froze a few inches away from the front door of the Hyperion. God, she thought,   
what the hell am I doing? They'll probably throw me out the window.  
  
The second story one.  
  
She sighed and knocked anyway.  
  
Inside the hotel, the gang looked towards the door of the hotel. A figure was standing there,   
visible but indistingishable through the blurred glass of the doorway.  
  
"Wow. Don't see that every day."  
  
Wesley squinted at the doorway. "What's that, Cordelia?"  
  
"Someone who knocks." Cordelia leaned over her desk. "Can't see who it is, though."  
  
"Nor can I. Of course, I believe I may need new glasses. My vision lately has.."  
  
"Anyone gonna get that?" Angel broke in dryly. Everyone looked at Cordelia.  
  
"Oh, what, because I'm the office manager you think I have to do *everything* around here?   
What, being vision girl isn't.."  
  
"Cordelia."  
  
She huffed a little as she looked at Angel, but it was mostly for show. Wouldn't do to let him   
start taking her for granted or anything. But she did get up and make her way over to the door.  
  
Not being used to having people knock, she decided a variation of the phone spiel was the way   
to go.  
  
"Hi! Welcome to Angel Investigations! We help the... Oh. It's you."   
  
"Hey," Faith grunted. She shifted her feet, taking some comfort in the fact Cordelia hadn't   
slammed the door in her face.   
  
Cordelia didn't open the door completely, instead leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.   
"What are you doing here? And where are your little Watcher cronies?"  
  
"Who, Dumb and Dumber?" Faith shrugged. "Ditched 'em. Beside, they're not my cronies. They..." She shrugged again and chewed on her lip for a second. "And I came because I need your help," she added in something just above a whisper.  
  
"You need *our* help? Or just Angel's?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared down at the   
once-dark-but-supposedly-all-better-now Slayer. She had her suspicions about Faith's feelings   
for Angel, and if she was right, she didn't want the other girl anywhere around him.  
  
Cause.. cause she felt protective about the guy, in a sisterly sort of way.  
  
At least, that's what she tried very hard to tell herself.  
  
"I..." Faith frowned. What was *that* all about? "I don't know," she replied honestly.  
  
[Don't know? Yeah, right.] "And by the way, if the kind of help you're looking for includes   
human punching bags or pincushions, thank you but no.  Wesley and I tried that one already."  
  
"Cordelia, I'm..." Faith was tempted to say 'screw it' and barge in and find Angel, but she   
held her temper. "Look, I know this isn't going to mean a lot, but I'm sorry. I really am. But   
this is important. That psycho-vamp is still runnin' around out there and I can't take him out  
by myself." She glanced past Cordelia. "So can I come in or not?"  
  
"Yeah, you sound sorry. Real sorry."  
  
"I - " was all Faith got in. Hurricane Cordelia was in full force. Not that Faith could blame   
her. People had the right to hate you when you smacked 'em around for kicks.  
  
"Of course, you'd probably be a lot sorrier if you'd used half a pound of gauze to try and   
patch up the holes someone had gouged in you. Or spent two weeks trying to explain to various   
and sundry strangers why the side of your face was black and blue. Or that lovely yellow   
shade as it heals. But no, you were on the *other* end of that little assault, so you   
probably don't..."  
  
"Cordelia - " Faith began, but Angel appeared at Cordelia's shoulder and she shut up.  
  
"Cordelia." Angel took hold of the door and pulled, but Cordy took the doorknob and pulled   
the other way. After a mini tug-of-war for control, Cordelia looked him in the eye for a   
moment, then let go.  
  
"Your funeral," she said softly. "No, wait.. that would be ours." She turned and walked   
away. Angel watched her for a moment, before turning to face Faith once more. He held the   
door open silently.  
  
"Hey. Maybe I shoulda called first," Faith said, a weak smile on her face. "But, you know..."   
She stepped inside and instantly felt Wesley and Cordelia's glares fixed on her. "We kinda   
have a problem here."  
  
As soon as she said it, Faith's face fell. Great, dig that hole a little deeper, girl, she thought, doing her best not to look over at Wesley and Cordelia.  
  
Cordelia plopped herself down next to Wesley and, after a moment's hesitation, Gunn sat next   
to them on the round, cushioned sofa in the hotel's lobby. Angel sighed, looking between the   
two groups. He remained where he was, somewhere between Faith and his crew.  
  
"We?" repeated Gunn doubtfully. "Now the 'we' that includes us I know. It's the 'we' that   
includes you that I'm a little iffy on."  
  
Faith nodded, still a little confused on who this guy was, besides pretty cute. Then - Oh,   
yeah, Gunn. Gotta be. "Look, we both tried to take that thing down and it wasn't exactly a   
hit," she began. "And it's still out there, and... Okay, I need your help," she added, her   
voice dropping a little. "This one's badder than I am."  
  
There was another brief silence after Faith spoke.  
  
Cordelia opened her mouth to speak, but Angel got there first.  
  
"I need to talk to my team," he said, turning to Faith. The crew got up and filed into   
Angel's office, and he followed with a last, apologetic look at the Slayer.  
  
Faith smiled at Angel, then padded over to the couch and slunk down onto it. "Great. Way to  
bring 'em onto the team," she muttered, even though it had gone about as well as she could   
have expected. She hoped that, whatever they decided, they did it soon. The Watchers would be   
showing up soon, probably, and Faith definitely wasn't looking forward to that.  
  
"You think they're gonna be in there long?" Fred emerged slowly from the shadows behind the   
front desk, cautious because of the strong emotions she'd sensed previously.    
  
"Jesus!" Faith was off the couch and turned, stake in hand, before she even knew what she was   
doing.   
  
"Whoa!" said Fred, taking a step back. "I don't think you're gonna need that. Not til later   
anyway."  
  
She relaxed, smiled in embarrassment, and tucked the stake away with a mumbled "Sorry," but   
the brunette girl didn't seem startled in the slightest. "Hey."  
  
"I was asking about them. In there." She shrugged a shoulder toward the closed office door.   
"I get lonesome, sometimes, when they're not here. Especially when I start hearin' things."   
  
"Hearing things?" Faith repeated. "Well, uh... Yeah, that's pretty sucky," she said, figuring   
it must be something like having a really chatty cellmate. An invisible one. "So, uh... you   
one of Angel's friends?"  
  
"Yeah." Fred grinned happily. "I'm Angel's friend. And Wesley's friend. And Gunn's friend.   
And even Cordelia's friend, even though she was a Princess and they didn't do that for me or   
anything but that's okay cause she's pretty nice." A beat. "Most of the time."  
  
A Princess? I really have been outta the loop here, Faith thought. She sat back down. "Yeah,   
most of the time. Helps if you don't go psycho on her. I mean, how are you supposed to   
apologize for that? Sorry I almost slapped your face off?" Faith stared down at her hands for   
a second, then buried them in her pants pockets. Somehow, the Watchers had found a pair of   
jeans in her size. Better than that ugly prison uniform. It almost made her feel like a free   
woman again.  
  
"Am I supposed to apologize for that?" Fred cocked her head to one side, confused again. "I   
don't remember slapping anyone's face off, but things still tend to kind of go mushy in my   
head."  
  
"Oh, I'm a.. no wait, that's not right. I was, but that was back there, and now I'm not   
anymore."  She beamed at Faith.  "I'm Fred.  I'm kind of staying here now."   
  
Faith couldn't help grinning back at the other girl. "Nice to meet you, Fred. I'm Faith. So,   
Angel adopted you, huh? Figures."   
  
"Oh, figures are fun. I used to know ever so many of 'em, but I tend to keep forgettin' 'em."  
  
"Uh..."  
  
She leaned towards Faith, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. "I try to be a little more   
careful now, cause they've got power, ya know."  
  
"Right." Faith nodded solemnly, even though she had no idea what the hell Fred was talking   
about. She wondered if even Fred knew. Then she glanced over at the closed office door, heard   
raised voices but couldn't make out any words, then looked back at Fred. "Guess they're going   
at it in there. I'm thinking I shoulda stayed out. How about you?"  
  
"I just wanted to play checkers," said Fred a little mournfully.  
  
The sound of voices ceased suddenly, and after a brief interlude, the office door opened. The   
AI crew filed out, tight lips and flushed cheeks testament to the intensity of the disagreement.  
  
Faith looked at them and waited. It was impossible to call who'd won, Angel or Wesley and   
Cordelia.  
  
"We'll work together," said Angel briefly.  
  
"All right," Faith said, letting out a deep breath she hadn't even realized she was holding in.  
She looked at Cordelia and Wesley, tried to say something, but couldn't. She nodded at them, a  
contrite look on her face, then turned back to Angel. "So... gear up, I guess? Or are there any tricks to killing this kinda vamp?"  
  
"Gear up?" repeated Wesley, brows raised. "Unless you're privy to the inner workings of this   
particular vampire, I'm not sure where exactly you plan to go.  As far as I'm aware, they   
don't usually send out playbills announcing their next appearance."  
  
Faith stared Wesley down for a second or two, then shrugged. "Sun's up. Not too many places it   
can go. We know where it was. Just follow the mess," she said. "Unless you guys have a better   
idea?" Faith asked, really hoping that they did. She wasn't much for plans, and this was hardly her best ever.  
  
As if on cue, Cordelia shook her head.  "Oh no," she murmured, her eyes instinctively seeking   
Angel's.  "Here we go again.."   
  
She had little time to prepare before the images began flooding her mind...  
  
The ancient vamp, looking a little healthier than he had last time.  
  
Demons and humans alike running in fear.  
  
And in the middle of it all, a familiar face...  
  
She opened her eyes, panting a bit. "I saw him... He's.. he's at..."  
  
And that was when the phone rang.  
  
And rang and rang, ignored by the AI team as they huddled around Cordelia.  
  
"Um... should I get that?" Faith asked. And what the hell was that all about, anyway? Cordelia   
having psychic flashes? Angel had really been holding out on her...  
  
"I'd do it, but it might bite my ear off," Fred replied in a stage whisper as she protectively   
covered said ear with one hand. "And I just hate it when that happens."  
  
"Yeah, really." Faith glanced over at Angel and the others, but they were busy with Cordelia.   
She picked up the phone. "Hey. I mean, Angel Investigations."  
  
There was a moment of silence on the other end. "Well, I know I must have the right place,   
although I don't believe I heard the dulcet tone of our sweet seer. Who might you be,   
sweetcheeks?"  
  
Sweetcheeks? Dulcet tone? Faith stared at the phone for a second, then she shrugged and   
smiled. Expecting normality was a lost cause around here. "I'm Faith." She almost added 'the   
vampire slayer', but stopped, not sure who this guy even was, let alone what he knew. "Angel   
can't come to the phone right now. Uh... May I take a message?"  
  
"Well, I *had* hoped to speak to the big guy himself, but I...." there was an audible crash,   
and a muttered imprecation before the voice continued, "A message can work, if Big, Tall, and   
Broody can get here soon. Just tell him the Host with the Most called, and.." another crash,   
"and if he could get his deliciously leather-clad self to Caritas, as quickly as possible,   
then I..." Another noise, and the phone went dead.  
  
"Oh, crap." Faith set the phone down and loudly cleared her throat. "Um, Angel... guys? Some   
guy callin' himself the Host with the Most just called. He said to get your butt over to   
Caritas. It sounded like someone was busting up the place," she said. "I think he's in trouble  
or something."   
  
"That's what I was trying to say," said Cordelia, sitting back with both eyes closed. "That  
scary vamp guy. He's at Caritas. And I don't think the whole 'demon sanctuary' part means   
much to him."  
  
Wesley and Gunn both stood up, preparing to leave, but Angel stayed where he was, eyes on   
Cordelia. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.  
  
"Fine," she said, opening her eyes to smile at him briefly. "Just.. just go. Get Fangs   
already."  
  
Obviously reluctant, Angel stood, still looking down at her. "Fred, can you stay here with   
her?"  
  
"Sure," said Fred brightly, moving from behind the counter. "I can prolly help with her headaches, cause they're lots easier to deal with here. No kablooey or anything."  
  
"That's fine then." Angel turned to face Wesley, Gunn, and Faith. "We ready?"  
  
Faith nodded. "You still have all the toys?" she asked, starting to get psyched up again.  
  
Angel just nodded in reply. Toys... Don't let me down here, Faith, he thought, watching as the   
Slayer adopted a 'kid in a candy shop' demeanor as they armed themselves.  
  
She picked a smallish battle axe and a handful of stakes from the cabinet and waited for the   
others to get their weapons together.   
  
"Don't wait up," Gunn said with a grin and a wink at Cordelia and Fred.  
  
"So what's the deal on this Host guy, anyway?" Faith wondered as she followed Angel, Gunn and   
Wesley out of the hotel. "And what's Caritas?"  
  
"The Host... He's a demon. A visionary. He owns a nightclub for demons."  
  
"For demons?" Faith repeated. "Why haven't you torn it down?"  
  
"It's neutral ground. Sanctuary, as Cordelia said. And he's helped us in the past, many times," Wesley said shortly.   
  
"Yeah." Gunn grinned. "Plus he can belt out a good tune."  
  
"Uh-huh... Sounds like my kind of guy." This city is too weird, Faith thought.  
  
Way too weird, she thought when they pulled up in front of Caritas only to find demons milling   
about in front. One of them, a green-faced man in a garish yellow coat and Hawaiian shirt,   
waved and ran over to Angel's car.  
  
"Angelcakes, so glad you and the gang are here," said Lorne, opening the door and trying to   
hustle them all out. "Love to stand here and chat with you folks, but since my club is about to  
adopt a post-Apocalypse motif *again*, I'd kind of appreciate it if you all went inside. Like   
*now*."  
  
A table crashed through the front door at that moment, rolling on its round top until it came   
to a sudden stop against the front of Angel's car. He managed to hold himself to a wince,   
staring at the dent in the once pristine paint before turning towards the club entrance. "Now   
works for me," he said, turning to look at the others. "We ready?"  
  
"Born ready," Faith said at the same time as Gunn. They shared a look, then laughed. Angel   
frowned briefly, then led the way into the club.  
  
Inside, it was clear Lorne's use of 'post-Apocalypse motif' wasn't far off. Half the tables   
had been smashed to bits, and the rest were strewn about, a few lodged in the walls themselves.  
The rest was hard to tell, on account of the blood that was covering almost every surface. Red   
blood, green blood, black blood and even a few splotches of bright purple blood.   
  
"Holy shit..." Faith whispered, paling as she saw the vampire tear a demon's ribs out, one by   
one, and then impale the dying creature with its own bones. Then the vampire sniffed loudly,   
once, twice, and turned towards the AI quartet.  
  
"Hit it," Angel snapped, raising his hand crossbow and taking aim as the blood-soaked vampire   
began to shuffle towards them. He'd heard about blood-beasts like this from the Master long   
ago, but never actually seen one. For once, the Master had actually understated things...   
Whatever sanity it had had even a few hours ago was completely gone.   
  
He pulled the crossbow's trigger and began to reload without looking to see if he hit the   
monstrosity. Gunn and Wesley were unloading their own crossbows, and Faith was -   
  
"Faith!" he yelled as she charged towards the vampire. Even as he started to move to catch up,   
the Slayer had reached it. The vampire reached for her with both hands, but Faith easily   
ducked and then slid forward right under its legs.   
  
Before the vampire could turn, she was back on her feet. It had just begun to shift and attack   
when Faith buried her axe deep into the small of its back. There was a loud cracking sound as   
the vampire's spine snapped. It let out an ear-splitting howl and still somehow had the   
strength to backhand Faith and send her flying into the bar. Still howling, the vampire began   
to shuffle towards her, ignoring the broken spine and the crossbow bolts that Gunn and Wesley   
were hitting it with.  
  
Angel yelled and hit the vampire on the back with his katana. The sword sliced off a good   
chunk of dead flesh and gnarled bone, but it was too far gone to even notice. And it was about   
to grab Faith...   
  
There was a blur of movement and Wesley and Gunn slammed into the vampire, tackling it to the   
ground for a few seconds. Then it threw them both off, and shoved Angel away with a careless   
slap, and continued to advance on Faith. It grabbed her hair with one hand and yanked her up,  
maw open and ready to tear into her exposed neck.  
  
Then her eyes opened and she winked. "See ya later, sucker," Faith said and shoved a stake   
deep into its chest. Then, when the vampire didn't burst into dust, moaned "Aw, not aga - "   
before it wrapped its right hand around her throat.  
  
A hand that was suddenly no longer attached to the vampire's arm. It stared down at the stump   
just above its wrist and then turned, puzzled, to see who had done that. Faith, free of the   
now-vanished hand, gasped a little as she also turned towards her rescuer.  
  
"Surprise," Angel said, shrugging briefly at the vampire before slicing its head clean off.   
In the half-second before it completely vanished, the beast howled one more time, then nothing   
was left except a pile of black, oily dust.  
  
Faith got to her feet with Angel's help. "So that's that?" she asked as Gunn and Wesley,   
battered but unbroken, joined the two of them by the bar.  
  
"Pretty much," said Angel, leaning against the bar. A piece of it crumbled to the ground, and   
he hastily righted himself. "I don't think there's much more we can do here."  
  
"Don't say that," said a muffled voice. They all turned to see red eyes peeping at them from   
behind the bar. Slowly Lorne rose, eyeing the ruins of his establishment sorrowfully. "Please,   
let's just keep the indirect threats to ourselves, shall we?"  
  
The Host moved around the bar as the bemused patrons began to emerge from their hiding places,  
righting upturned tables and setting chairs back on their legs. As the bar filled with the   
lowered voices and murmurs of the Host trying to reassure his customers, Angel turned to speak   
to the others.  
  
"Let's get back to the hotel," he said, carefully wiping both sides of the katana clean with a   
discarded cloth laying on the bar. "I want to see how Cordy is." He started towards the door   
without waiting on them to respond.  
  
Gunn and Wes exchanged knowing looks before following him. Faith nudged Gunn as they were   
leaving.  
  
"Is it just me, or is tall, dark, and dead over there a little obsessed with Queen C?"  
  
Gunn grinned, looking down at the dark Slayer. "Nothin' gets past you, does it?"  
  
None of them noticed the vampire near the entrance of the club, hidden in an alcove. After   
watching them carefully as they left, the creature hurried off in the opposite direction.  
  
* * * * *   
  
"Oh, fuck, these guys," Faith muttered when they pulled up in front of the Hyperion only to   
find a non-descript grey van parked there.   
  
"Watchers?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Watchers," Faith confirmed with a sigh. "Took 'em long enough to show up."  
  
"Yes, it would have been too helpful if they'd joined in the actual fighting," Wesley murmured.  
  
All four of them got out of Angel's car. A few seconds later, the two Watchers emerged from   
their van.  
  
"They musta come to collect me..."  
  
"They're not going to," said Angel simply. He turned to face the approaching Watchers, and   
Gunn and Wesley moved to stand next to him. Wesley spoke first.  
  
"Can we help you?"  
  
The older of the two Watchers stepped up. "You can't, Wyndham-Pryce. The young Slayer here, on the other hand..."  
  
"We have an arrangement," Dane, the younger Watcher, added. "She's done good work and - "  
  
"So now you wanna stick her back in a cell?" Gunn asked. "You Watchers got some fucked   
up ideas."  
  
Deschain glared briefly at Gunn, then turned his attention back to Faith. "We did have a deal,   
young lady."  
  
"Deals change," Angel countered. "You can't seriously think putting her back in a cell is going to - "  
  
"I'll go."  
  
"'Zactly, she's not going anywhere she doesn't - what?"  
  
Faith smiled a little. "I said, I'll go." She turned to Angel. "We both know I got a long way   
to go. Being out here... it's too much, too soon. And they're right. We have a deal."  
  
Angel stared at the Slayer. "Faith..."  
  
"Trust me, Angel. It's the thing to do," she insisted. "Besides, I'm starting to miss the  
food," Faith said with a weak laugh.   
  
Are you sure about this?" Angel asked her.  
  
"Yeah. Stop trying to change my mind... I gotta do it." She squeezed his shoulder in a vague,   
embarrassed imitation of a hug, then looked over at Gunn and Wes. "Well... Nice meeting you,   
big guy," she said with a wicked smile. "And Wes... stay outta trouble."  
  
Wesley opened his mouth to reply, then shut it slowly. What could he possibly say?  
  
Then he straightened, setting his shoulders, before bowing his head slightly towards her, his   
eyes never leaving hers.   
  
Gunn just winked at her, a hint of something--regret?--in his smile.  
  
Faith grinned at him, and briefly at Wesley, then turned to the two Watchers. "Well, let's get   
going."  
  
Deschain nodded once, then headed to the front of the van while Dane pulled the rear door   
open. "Ladies first," the black Watcher said.  
  
"See ya around, guys," Faith said, then jumped into the van. She looked back over her shoulder   
once, then vanished. Dane slammed the door shut and eyed the AI group briefly before getting   
into the driver's seat.  
  
Gunn watched silently, the grin slowly fading, before he shifted uncomfortably. "Shouldn't  
we...?"  
  
"No." Angel's voice was short, clipped, and he watched unblinking as Dane started the van's   
engine. "It has to be her choice."  
  
A few seconds later, the van pulled away from the curb and sped down the street. It turned the   
first corner and disappeared.  
  
"I'm going in to check on Cordy." Angel turned abruptly and entered the hotel, and the other   
two followed shortly thereafter.  
  
Fred looked up as the three men came into the lobby. She frowned quizically and pointed at   
each of them in turn. "Weren't there three of y'all before?" she asked. "Did - did..." She   
couldn't finish that thought.  
  
Cordelia did it for her. "Where's Faith?"  
  
"The Watchers. She let 'em take her back to jail," Gunn replied when Angel didn't after a few  
seconds. "Some kinda 'deal' she had."  
  
"Oh." Cordelia sat back down. "Well... that's probably for the best. Paying her debt to   
society and all that, right?"  
  
Wesley nodded slowly. "Right. She still needs time before she's ready to rejoin the world."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Well it sounds stupid to me. Isn't she some kinda superhero like Angel and Cordelia?" Fred   
asked. "I mean, sure she's a psychopath, but that's not really... well, psychopath might not   
be the correct term, since that usually signifies a predator who uses charm, intimidation, and  
sometimes impulsive and cold-blooded violence to achieve their own gains, whereas Faith seemed  
to exhibit more sociapathic characteristics, in that she didn't regard other people as people  
but as playthings for her amusement or entertainment. She might also have antisocial   
tendencies, which would entail..."  
  
"Fred!" said Cordelia, Wes, and Gunn in exasperated unison.  
  
"Sorry," said Fred softly. "I just meant since she's sort of a superhero, being a Slayer and   
all, and she operates differently than other people. Like Angel."  
  
"I'm not a - that's not the point." Angel walked over to the counter and absently scanned the   
front page of the newspaper. "but she made her choice. And at least the vampire is dead."  
  
"Score one for the home team." Gunn forced a smile as he put his axe back onto the weapon   
rack.  
  
"So that's it, then. Right?" Cordelia leaned back against the sofa, still slightly pale from   
the ever-present vision aftermath. "We're done?"  
  
"We're done," said Wesley, closing the weapons cabinet after having returned everything to its  
rightful place. "For now, anyway. I would imagine it won't take long for the darker elements   
of LA to reassert themselves, but for the present we can take a breather."  
  
"In that case, I'm outta here," said Cordelia. She got to her feet slowly, wavering a moment   
when she stood. She forestalled Angel's instinctive move to her side with one raised hand.   
"For the four thousandth time today, I'm *fine*, Angel. I just want to go home and take a long  
hot bath, and the only company I need is invisible and answers to the name 'Phantom Dennis.' "  
  
* * * * *  
  
Faith stared out the window of the van as they drove out of the neighborhood around the   
Hyperion.  
  
"You guys got any music in this thing?" she asked Dane. He seemed the (marginally) nicer of  
the two.  
  
The Watcher shook his head without taking his eyes of the road. "Sorry, it's a rental."  
  
"Figures." Faith tried to settle back and relax, but it wasn't easy. It wasn't going back to  
jail that was making her twitchy. Or not entirely. She knew going in this was just a temporary  
deal. No, mostly, she felt weird about ditching Angel and his team. And THAT was weird.   
  
Faith sighed and cracked her knuckles.  
  
"Nervous?" Dane asked over his shoulder.  
  
"I guess." The Slayer shrugged. "I only got a couple more years left. Maybe I'll get early  
release for good behavior or something."  
  
"Hm."  
  
"Yeah. Not gonna happen," Faith admitted with a wry grin. "Girl's gotta dream, though."  
  
Deschain smiled a little, the first time Faith had ever seen him do that. "Quite so."  
  
"Uh-huh." Faith turned away and glanced back out the window. After a few minutes, she suddenly  
leaned forward. "Hey, what the fuck? World Way North? This isn't - "  
  
"There's been a slight change in planes," Deschain informed her. "To be honest, I hadn't   
expected you would come with us voluntary. But we did make provisions for it."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Faith asked. What were they pulling? Couldn't be   
anything crazy since they hadn't tied her up or knocked her out or anything - unless they were  
stupid enough to piss off a Slayer without a wall between her and them.   
  
"We're going to the airport. There are three tickets on a direct flight to London waiting for  
us at the British Airways counter." Deschain shifted a little so he was facing back towards  
Faith. "It's up to you if we claim all three."  
  
Faith frowned again. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You can go back to England with us and continue your training where it left off," the elderly  
Watcher explained. "As if the last few years never happened. Or..." He pressed his lips   
together.  
  
"Or?" Faith asked, her heart beating like a hammer.  
  
"Or you can remain in Los Angeles acting as you see fit. The Council... The Council seems to  
think you've earned the right."  
  
"Holy fuck."  
  
"Hmm, yes." Deschain smiled thinly. "Which will it be? London or Los Angeles?" The van   
continued on its way as they awaited  
her response.  
  
* * * * *   
  
Across town, deep within the basement of a palatial estate, a beringed hand lifted picture   
after picture, seeing once again the scenes at the bus station and Caritas. The vampire before   
the throne-like chair trembled as he gave his report.  
  
"We couldn't stop them. There were too many of 'em, and then the other Slayer showed up, and   
it was..."  
  
"Enough." The voice was almost languid but with a steely note underneath. "You may leave. But   
be aware I do not tolerate  
fools gladly. The next time there will be no mistakes."  
  
The room emptied slowly, and one long, claw-like hand lingered for a moment on a photo of   
Angel staking one of the vampires at the station as the room filled with the sound of a low,   
unearthly cackling. 


	4. Chapter 3

Cordelia cursed silently, startled into messing up her last toenail by the sudden knock at the door. "OPI doesn't even make this shade any more," she muttered, trying to carefully erase the tiny smear of coral. "I can't afford to waste it. Phantom Dennis, can't you get that?"  
  
But the door remained shut. Getting to her feet, Cordelia put the applicator back in the glass bottle and set it on the coffee table, then began inching her way towards the door, toes spread wide by the foam separators between them. "Thanks a lot," she said, grasping the doorknob. "Now, when I really need you, you're taking a coffee break. Or whatever it is dead folks drink."  
  
But the door wouldn't open. Apparently Dennis wasn't on a coffee break, he'd just taken a tiny leave of his ghostly sense. "Dennis," she called out, looking up in frustration. "It's daylight. No vamps outside, remember?"  
  
No matter what she did or how hard she cajoled, the ghost wouldn't let her open the door. Giving up, she leaned against it, hoping whoever was outside was still there.  
  
"Hello?" She rolled her eyes, wondering what had given Dennis the heebie-jeebies. "Sorry, my door won't work."  
  
"Cordy? Hey... Uh, it's Faith."  
  
And that answered the question of what exactly had given Dennis the heebie-jeebies. Cordelia's cell phone drifted across the room and floated before her eyes, and she grabbed it and stuffed it in her pocket. "Dennis, it's okay. Really." She sighed. Convincing him that Faith had reformed wasn't going to be easy. "Faith, just give me a minute to...wait - what the hell are you doing here? No offense, but, um, aren't you supposed to be in jail?"  
  
"No." The door shook a little as Faith tried to push it open. "Are you okay in there? What happened?"  
  
"A geeky, way overprotective ghost," Cordelia muttered. "It's okay. Just, uh, stuck. So...jail update?"  
  
Cordelia could practically hear the other woman shrug. "Oh. Well, long story short - those two Watchers said I was a good girl and let me come to England with them. Been brushing up on my Slayer homework. Kicking vampire ass. You know. So they said I was okay to come back to LA."  
  
"Just like that?"   
  
"Hell, I dunno. Maybe I impressed them. Plus they're probably gonna keep an eye on me." Faith tested the doorknob again. "Maybe you should call a locksmith," she suggested.   
  
"Wait, back up a sec, Faith. So you're a Watcherless Slayer? And the Council's okay with it?"  
  
"Nobody wanted the job."  
  
"Oh." For once, Cordelia was speechless.  
  
Faith laughed. "Kidding. I do have a Watcher. He's still in England for a few days, sorting stuff out with the Council. They actually have forms to fill out."  
  
Cordelia nodded slowly. "So you're cool with him?"  
  
"Yeah, Martin's not bad. For a Watcher. I guess I lucked out. So... here I am. What's new round here? Everyone's okay and stuff?"  
  
"Everybody's fine except for one overzealous ghost who's ABOUT TO BE OUT OF A JOB." With one harried look at the ceiling, Cordelia grasped the doorknob. "She's not going to hurt me, Dennis. So let me open.. this.. door.. NOW." And with that, she pulled on the door with as much strength as she could muster. As Dennis chose that moment to let go, it opened rather more quickly than she'd anticipated, and she stumbled a little.  
  
"Faith.. hi.." she said, smiling weakly. "I.. er.. got it unstuck." She stood in the doorway, still holding on to the door. "I guess you want to come in."  
  
"Well, yeah." Faith was uncharacteristically humble. "Is that okay?"  
  
After a brief pause, Cordelia moved to one side. "Come on in." Closing the door after Faith, she moved in front of her and led the way to the living room, plopping down comfortably on the overstuffed sofa. "So... what's the what? Not about you coming back to the country. Coming here, I mean. To see me."  
  
"I... God, I suck at this." Faith paced back and forth at the end of the couch. She forced herself to stop. "Over in England, they had me running all over the place with tests and exercises and crap like that pretty much 24-7, but I still had a little time to think about... uh, stuff, ya know?" God, girl, get it together before she has that ghost kick you out the window.   
  
"I mean..." Faith waved her hand in the air. "I was thinking. Sorting things out some more." She smiled nervously. "Easier than in jail. Didn't have to worry about getting shivved in the shower as much. Made it easier to sort out this whole 'good' thing."  
  
Cordy turned abruptly to face the other girl. "It's all well and good to say you're 'good' now, but I wanna know something. Why? Why are you good? You come over here, knock me into next Tuesday, torture Wes with pieces of glass among other less pleasant thing, and the next thing we hear is that you turned yourself in. I didn't get to talk to you much last time you showed up around here, so tell me now. What happened to change you?"  
  
"It..." Faith sat down. That was the million dollar question, all right. She'd spent most of the past couple years, and especially the past few months, thinking about it - wasn't much else to do - and still didn't know for sure. "Hit rock bottom, I guess. All that time, all those things I did... Up here, I didn't care," she said, tapping her forehead. "But I guess I knew somehow it was just pulling me down. Making me as a monster just like a vamp or whatever. And when those lawyers hired me to kill Angel, the one guy who'd ever even tried to do anything for me, that was it..."  
  
"That was what?" said Cordelia, both voice and expression carefully neutral. "It certainly didn't seem to bother you at the time."  
  
Faith looked back over at Cordelia. "I just couldn't go on like that, Cordelia... and Angel wouldn't kill me. I guess he figured that wouldn't help. And after you guys and Buffy took on the Watchers, it just hit me. Why the fuck would you do that? After everything I did. I needed... I don't know. Needed to pay for what I did. And I know I can't ever do that. But I had to *try*..." She laughed a little. "Figured prison was the best shot I had at doing that, and keeping myself out of trouble while I figured it all out. I'm not sure I'll ever do that, either."  
  
"But I know I'm a Slayer, and that's what I'm gonna do now. It's all I can do," Faith concluded. She felt a little weird for laying it all out like that, but a little bit - a very little bit - of that weight was off her shoulders. Her Watcher had suggested it before she left him back in England, but she woulda done it anyway. At least, Faith hoped she would have.  
  
Cordelia was silent for a long time, weighing the other girl's words. It was still hard for her to believe, after everything that happened. But at the same time, it wasn't that hard *not* to believe, either. Faith certainly hadn't done anything as bad as Angel in his Angelus days, and weren't they all working towards *his* redemption?  
  
Did she owe that same kind of second chance to Faith?  
  
"I guess I can live with that," she said finally. "So long as you don't screw this up and turn evil again. Cause if that happens, I should warn you--I carry a taser now." There was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes at that last, and her expression lightened a little. "And I'm not afraid to use it."  
  
"Well, that settles it... it's a life of good for me," Faith said with a smile. She stood up and cracked her knuckles a couple times. "So, uh... you guys working on any big cases or anything now?" she asked, then grimaced a little. There were probably better topics for small talk...  
  
Cordelia almost snorted. There was trusting Faith, and there was being a moron. Telling Faith all the company's business right off the bat would definitely put her in the latter camp. But keeping her in close range, on the other hand... "Tell you what," she said slowly. "Why don't we take it one step at a time. Maybe we can hook you up with something better to wear."   
  
Faith looked down at her somewhat ratty outfit. Cordelia had a point there. The Watchers weren't big on forking money over for stylish clothes. I need some leather, she thought, then frowned slightly. 'But not black' had popped into her mind out of nowhere. "Okay."  
  
Cordelia cast a quick glance over the other girl. "I may not be totally sure you're what you say you are, but nothing comes between me and a good makeover."  
  
"Okay," Faith repeated, somewhat warily. The other woman was almost a little too friendly.   
  
Or - of course. She just wanted to keep a close eye on Faith. Made sense.  
  
"So... nice place you got here," Faith said, looking around the apartment. It really was. Business must be pretty good for them, she thought.  
  
"I like it. I'd give you the tour, but there's not much else down here except for the kitchen, and I don't really.. hey.." Cordelia turned, her gaze appraising once more, but this time for a different reason. "I don't suppose they had cooking classes in prison...?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Faith stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked weird - felt weird, too - wearing one of Cordelia's outfits, but there wasn't much choice. Her only real clothes hadn't been washed in more than a year. No way she was gonna put them on. And no way was she gonna wear the crap the Watchers scraped together.  
  
She stopped, listening suddenly as she heard voices outside the apartment. With a little bit of effort, Faith relaxed. It wasn't someone creeping up on her. It wasn't another stupid Watcher drill. Just some guy heading home for the night. A normal guy doing normal shit.  
  
Faith snickered a little. One day, she'd meet someone like that and ask him what it was like. All the people she knew now where deep into the Twilight Zone.  
  
  
And what about Wesley? That wasn't a meeting Faith was looking forward to. But he wasn't here now, so there was no point getting all stressed thinking about how it would play out.  
  
She glanced at her reflection one more time, then stomped back out into the living room. Cordelia was sprawled out on the couch, busily channel surfing.  
  
"Hey," she said. "I'm back. And...umm... thanks again for loaning the clothes. I owe ya," Faith said, then winced. That was an understatement for sure.   
  
"That may well be the understatement of the century," said Cordelia, glancing around as Faith stopped close to her. She flicked the television off and dropped the remote on the sofa. "But for now, we'll call it even. Mostly. Lucky for you I have such good taste in clothes."  
  
Faith smiled. Couldn't really argue with that, even if Cordy's style was a little too modest for her. "Yeah. So..." She sat down on one of the chairs a comfortable distance away from Cordelia. "I don't suppose you're in the mood for some food? Cuz I haven't eaten since breakfast, and that was airplane food. I have some money..."  
  
Cordelia was silent for a moment, staring at the other girl with an appraising brow raised, then a slow smile curved her lips. "You know, it might not be so bad having you around after all." She got to her feet, then cocked her head towards the front door. "Come on, let's go. We can get some take-out, take it over to the hotel for the others."  
  
"Cool." Faith stood up and headed towards the door.   
  
"Dennis? We're going out for take-out," called Cordelia as she grabbed her purse from a coffee table next to the sofa. The television flickered to life once more. "And you better not order any pay-per-view!" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled the front door open and headed outside.  
  
"So, what's good around here?" Faith asked as the two of them left Cordy's apartment.  
  
Fifteen minutes later...  
  
"Mmm..." Faith smiled and took in a few deep breaths as they entered the Chinese restaurant. "It's been a while, okay?" she asked, slightly defensively, when Cordelia gave her a funny look.   
  
"So what's good here?"  
  
"Mmm, everything," said Cordelia, grabbing a couple of the paper menus and handing one to Faith. "Personally I'm partial to sesame chicken, but the egg rolls are to die for. The fried rice is good, and I usually have vamps... a-and blood..."  
  
"What?" Faith turned sharply. "Cordelia - what the fuck?"  
  
The menu fluttered slowly to the floor, and Cordelia frowned in concentration. "I think we're about to have some company. Vamps--several of them. They're going to break in.. *here*. In a few moments. We should.." She stopped, glaring down at the proprietor. He was waving both hands agitatedly. "What's he twittering about?"  
  
Faith looked up at her, eyes wide. "I don't know... perhaps the fact that you're floating about three feet off the ground?"  
  
"OH! That." Cordelia held out a hand. "Pull me down. This'll only last for a couple of minutes. But I'm afraid it may not wear off before..."  
  
She was proven correct about two seconds later when the glass door was thrust open and several vampires burst into the room.  
  
"Boy, do I love it when the PTB do this," said Cordelia. "That was a *lot* of help!" Digging in her bag, she came up with a handful of stakes. Taking one in each hand, she gave Faith a couple then turned to face the vampires, one leg hooked around the table to keep herself grounded..  
  
Faith glared at the vampires, then slowly began to smile as her old fighting - hunting - instincts kicked in. It had been way too long... She winked at the vampires, then leapt into the fray.  
  
A half hour later...  
  
" - and did you see the look on the one vamp's face when I dusted him with the chopstick? That was so bitching," Faith exclaimed as she pushed the hotel door open with one elbow. She munched down on another handful of french fries and held the door open for Cordelia. "Damn, I forgot how hungry that made me. Can I have one of your burgers?"   
  
"No way! I only got the one." Cordelia laughed a little, leading the way down the steps to the Hyperion lobby. They both came to a stop, facing Angel and Fred who were apparently having a deep and meaningful discussion. Or had been until the two women came in. Cordy cast a quick glance over her and Faith's appearances. They were bruised, bloodied, and more than a little bedraggled.  
  
Smiling weakly, Cordelia held up one of the two bags she carried, both bearing familiar golden arches. "We got MickeyD's," she said. "Anyone hungry?" 


End file.
